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Abstract:

A method includes receiving a first control information from a network
access node, the first control information comprising a plurality of
fields defining control information elements that are relevant to a
resource allocation; receiving a second control information from the
network access node, the second control information comprising a
plurality of fields defining control information elements that are
relevant to the resource allocation; and declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation if at least one of the
plurality of fields of the second control information is the same as one
of the plurality of fields of the first control information. Also
disclosed are computer programs and apparatus for carrying out the
method, as well as a network access node configured to compose first
control information and second control information for expressing
resource allocations.

Claims:

1. A method, comprising:receiving a first control information from a
network access node, the first control information comprising a plurality
of fields defining control information elements that are relevant to a
resource allocation;receiving a second control information from the
network access node, the second control information comprising a
plurality of fields defining control information elements that are
relevant to the resource allocation; anddeclaring the resource allocation
to be a persistent resource allocation if at least one of the plurality
of fields of the second control information is the same as one of the
plurality of fields of the first control information.

2. The method of claim 1, where in response to receiving the first control
information, further comprising transmitting a first data unit to the
network access node using the defined control information elements.

3. The method of claim 1, where in response to receiving the first control
information, further comprising receiving a first data unit from the
network access node using the defined control information elements.

4. The method of claim 1, where in response to receiving the first control
information, further comprising transmitting a first data unit to the
network access node using the defined control information elements, and
in response to declaring the resource allocation to be a persistent
resource allocation, further comprising transmitting at least one
additional data unit to the network access node using the control
information elements defined in the received second control information.

5. The method of claim 1, where in response to receiving the first control
information, further comprising receiving a first data unit from the
network access node using the defined control information elements, and
in response to declaring the resource allocation to be a persistent
resource allocation, further comprising receiving at least one additional
data unit from the network access node using the control information
elements defined in the received second control information.

6. The method of claim 1, where the at least one field indicates one of a
transport block size, a modulation and coding scheme and a physical
resource block allocation.

7. The method of claim 1, where declaring the resource allocation to be a
persistent resource allocation occurs only if the first control
information and the second control information are received within a
predetermined amount of time indicated by a timer.

8. The method of claim 1, where declaring the resource allocation to be a
persistent resource allocation occurs only if the first control
information and the second control information are received within a
period of time indicated by a timer that is a multiple (n) of PS_PERIOD
(periodicity of persistent scheduling), where n is equal to about one or
greater than one.

9. The method of claim 1, where receiving the first control information
and receiving the second control information occurs within one
transmission timing interval.

10. The method of claim 1, where receiving the first control information
occurs within a first transmission timing interval, and where receiving
the second control information occurs within a next transmission timing
interval.

11. The method of claim 1, where each of the first control information and
second control information comprise information for identifying them as
semi-persistent resource allocations.

12. The method of claim 11, where the identifying information comprises a
specific semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI equal to an identification of
a user equipment receiving the first control information and the second
control information.

13. The method of claim 1, where receiving the first control information
occurs after sending a scheduling request to the network access node.

14. The method of claim 1, where in response to declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation further comprising
storing the control information elements received with the second control
information for use during the persistent resource allocation.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising storing information for
identifying a timing offset for the persistent resource allocation.

16. A computer readable medium that stores program instructions, execution
of the program instructions resulting in performance of operations
comprising:receiving a first control information from a network access
node, the first control information comprising a plurality of fields
defining control information elements that are relevant to a resource
allocation;receiving a second control information from the network access
node, the second control information comprising a plurality of fields
defining control information elements that are relevant to the resource
allocation; anddeclaring the resource allocation to be a persistent
resource allocation if at least one of the plurality of fields of the
second control information is the same as one of the plurality of fields
of the first control information.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where in response to
receiving the first control information, further comprising receiving a
first data unit from the network access node using the defined control
information elements.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where in response to
receiving the first control information, further comprising receiving a
first data unit from the network access node using the defined control
information elements.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where in response to
receiving the first control information, further comprising transmitting
a first data unit to the network access node using the defined control
information elements, and in response to declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation, further comprising
transmitting at least one additional data unit to the network access node
using the control information elements defined in the received second
control information.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where in response to
receiving the first control information, further comprising receiving a
first data unit from the network access node using the defined control
information elements, and in response to declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation, further comprising
receiving at least one additional data unit from the network access node
using the control information elements defined in the received second
control information.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where the at least one field
indicates one of a transport block size, a modulation and coding scheme
and a physical resource block allocation.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation occurs only if the
first control information and the second control information are received
within a predetermined amount of time indicated by a timer.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation occurs only if the
first control information and the second control information are received
within a period of time indicated by a timer that is a multiple (n) of
PS_PERIOD (periodicity of persistent scheduling), where n is equal to
about one or greater than one.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where receiving the first
control information and receiving the second control information occurs
within one transmission timing interval.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where receiving the first
control information occurs within a first transmission timing interval,
and where receiving the second control information occurs within a next
transmission timing interval.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where each of the first
control information and second control information comprise information
for identifying them as semi-persistent resource allocations.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, where the identifying
information comprises a specific semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI equal
to an identification of a user equipment receiving the first control
information and the second control information.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where receiving the first
control information occurs after sending a scheduling request to the
network access node.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 16, where in response to
declaring the resource allocation to be a persistent resource allocation
further comprising storing the control information elements received with
the second control information for use during the persistent resource
allocation.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, further comprising storing
information for identifying a timing offset for the persistent resource
allocation

31. An apparatus, comprising:a controller coupled with a wireless
transmitter, a wireless receiver and a memory, said controller configured
to receive a first control information from a network access node, the
first control information comprising a plurality of fields defining
control information elements that are relevant to a resource allocation
and to receive a second control information from the network access node,
the second control information also comprising a plurality of fields
defining control information elements that are relevant to the resource
allocation; said controller further configured to declare the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation if at least one of the
plurality of fields of the second control information is the same as one
of the plurality of fields of the first control information, and to store
in the memory control information elements received with the second
resource allocation for use during the persistent resource allocation.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, said controller being further configured to
also store in the memory information for identifying the timing offset of
a periodicity pattern.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, where the information identifying the
timing offset is comprised of an identification of a current transmission
time interval.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, said controller being configured to respond
to receiving the first control information to transmit a first data unit
to the network access node using the defined control information
elements.

35. The apparatus of claim 31, said controller being configured to respond
to receiving the first control information to receive a first data unit
from the network access node using the defined control information
elements.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, said controller being configured to respond
to receiving the first control information to transmit a first data unit
to the network access node using the defined control information
elements, said controller being further configured to respond to
declaring the resource allocation to be a persistent resource allocation
to transmit at least one additional data unit to the network access node
using the control information elements defined in the received second
control information.

37. The apparatus of claim 31, where the at least one field indicates one
of a transport block size, a modulation and coding scheme and a physical
resource block allocation.

38. The apparatus of claim 31, where said controller declares the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation only if the first
control information and the second control information are received
within a predetermined amount of time indicated by a timer.

39. The apparatus of claim 31, where said controller declares the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation only if the first
control information and the second control information are received
within a period of time indicated by a timer that is a multiple (n) of
PS_PERIOD (periodicity of persistent scheduling), where n is equal to
about one or greater than one.

40. The apparatus of claim 31, where the first control information and the
second control information are received within one transmission timing
interval, or within more than one transmission timing intervals.

41. The apparatus of claim 31, where each of the first control information
and second control information comprise information for identifying them
as semi-persistent resource allocations.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, where the identifying information comprises
a specific semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI equal to an identification
of a user equipment receiving the first control information and the
second control information.

43. The apparatus of claim 31, where at least said controller is embodied
at least partially in at least one integrated circuit.

44. A method, comprising:composing a first control information for a user
equipment, the first control information comprising a plurality of fields
defining control information elements that are relevant to a resource
allocation;transmitting the first control information to the user
equipment;composing a second control information for the user equipment,
the second control information comprising a plurality of fields defining
control information elements that are relevant to the resource
allocation, where the resource allocation is made to be a persistent
resource allocation by making at least one of the plurality of fields of
the second control information to be the same as one of the plurality of
fields of the first control information; andtransmitting the second
control information to the user equipment.

45. The method of claim 44, where composing the first control information
is performed in response to receiving a service request from the user
equipment, and where composing the second control information is
performed in response to receiving a data unit from the user equipment,
the data unit being received in accordance with the control information
elements specified in the first control information, and where the second
control information is composed so as to include the same or different
control information elements as the first control information.

46. The method of claim 44, where the at least one field indicates one of
a transport block size, a modulation and coding scheme and a physical
resource block allocation.

47. The method of claim 44, where transmitting the second control
information occurs in the same transmission time interval as transmitting
the first control information.

48. The method of claim 44, where transmitting the second control
information occurs in a transmission time interval that follows a
transmission time interval in which the first control information was
transmitted.

49. The method of claim 44, where transmitting the first control
information and the second control information occur within a period of
time that is a multiple (n) of PS_PERIOD (periodicity of persistent
scheduling), where n is equal to one or greater than one.

50. The method of claim 44, where each of the first control information
and the second control information are composed to comprise information
for identifying them as semi-persistent resource allocations, where the
information comprises a specific semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI equal
to an identification of a user equipment receiving the first control
information and the second control information.

51. The method of claim 44, performed as a result of execution of computer
program instructions stored in a memory medium that comprises part of an
eNodeB.

52. An apparatus, comprising:a controller coupled with a wireless
transmitter and a wireless receiver, said controller configured to
compose and transmit a first control information for a user equipment,
the first control information comprising a plurality of fields defining
control information elements that are relevant to a resource allocation,
said controller being further configured to compose and transmit a second
control information for the user equipment, the second control
information comprising a plurality of fields defining control information
elements that are relevant to the resource allocation, where the resource
allocation is made to be a persistent resource allocation by making at
least one of the plurality of fields of the second control information to
be the same as one of the plurality of fields of the first control
information.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, where said controller is configured to
compose the first control information in response to receiving a service
request from the user equipment and to compose the second control
information in response to receiving a data unit from the user equipment,
the data unit being received in accordance with the control information
elements specified in the first control information, where the second
control information is composed so as to include the same or different
control information elements as the first control information.

54. The apparatus of claim 52, where the at least one field indicates one
of a transport block size, a modulation and coding scheme and a physical
resource block allocation.

55. The apparatus of claim 52, where said controller transmits the second
control information in the same transmission time interval as the first
control information is transmitted.

56. The apparatus of claim 52, where said controller transmits the second
control information in a second transmission time interval that follows
the transmission time interval in which the first control information is
transmitted.

57. The apparatus of claim 52, where said controller is configured to
transmit the first control information and the second control information
within a period of time that is a multiple (n) of PS_PERIOD (periodicity
of persistent scheduling), where n is equal to one or greater than one.

58. The apparatus of claim 52, where said controller is configured to
compose each of the first control information and the second control
information to comprise information for identifying them as
semi-persistent resource allocations, where the information comprises a
specific semi-persistent scheduling C-RNTI equal to an identification of
a user equipment receiving the first control information and the second
control information.

59. The apparatus of claim 52, where at least said controller is embodied
at least partially in at least one integrated circuit

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of this invention relate
generally to wireless communication systems, methods, devices and
computer programs and, more specifically, relate to techniques to signal
resource allocation configurations from a network access node to a user
equipment.

[0043]A proposed communication system known as evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN,
also referred to as UTRAN LTE or as E UTRA) is currently under
development within the 3GPP. The current working assumption is that the
DL access technique is OFDMA, and the UL access technique is SC-FDMA.

[0045]FIG. 1A reproduces FIG. 4 of 3GPP TS 36.300, and shows the overall
architecture of the E-UTRAN system. The E-UTRAN system includes eNBs,
providing the E-UTRA user plane (PDCP/RLC/MAC/PHY) and control plane
(RRC) protocol terminations towards the UE. The eNBs are interconnected
with each other by means of an X2 interface. The eNBs are also connected
by means of an S1 interface to an EPC, more specifically to a MME
(Mobility Management Entity) by means of a S1-MME interface and to a
Serving Gateway (S-GW) by means of a S1-U interface. The S1 interface
supports a many-to-many relation between MMEs/Serving Gateways and eNBs.

[0046]The eNB hosts the following functions: [0047]functions for Radio
Resource Management: Radio Bearer Control, Radio Admission Control,
Connection Mobility Control, Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in
both uplink and downlink (scheduling); [0048]IP header compression and
encryption of user data stream; [0049]selection of a MME at UE
attachment; [0050]routing of User Plane data towards Serving Gateway;
[0051]scheduling and transmission of paging messages (originated from the
MME); [0052]scheduling and transmission of broadcast information
(originated from the MME or O&M); and [0053]measurement and measurement
reporting configuration for mobility and scheduling.

[0054]In those wireless communication systems where the control channel
resources are limited various techniques to optimize the use of the
control channel resources have been considered. One optimization
technique is to use a persistent or semi-persistent allocation of
transmission resources. In this technique resources are assigned for
transmission in the DL or UL for a period longer than for a normal (one
time) allocation. For example, in the LTE system it has been agreed that
semi-persistent scheduling is to be accommodated by the system
specification. In that the periodicity pattern of transmission/reception
resources are assigned to the UE with higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC
signaling) then the UE is enabled to transmit and/or receive in the
assigned resources without explicit L1/L2 control signaling (i.e.,
without the use of the PDCCH).

[0055]An example is shown in FIG. 2, where "talk-spurt based"
semi-persistent allocation is described for a VoIP connection. The RRC
signaling is used to assign a 20 ms periodicity pattern to the UE.
Afterwards, when the traffic is identified in the beginning of the
talk-spurt, the time and frequency resources and TFI are assigned to the
UE with L1/L2 control signaling (i.e., with the PDCCH). The UE stores the
time and frequency resources and TFI information, and this information
informs the UE that it can either transmit (UL) or receive (DL) the
assigned format of packets with these resources using the known
periodicity pattern (signaled via the RRC). As can be noted in FIG. 2,
the re-transmissions in the DL are sent using L1/L2 control signaling as
the semi-persistent scheduling is typically only applied for the initial
transmission (not for re transmissions if needed).

[0056]One requirement for such talk-spurt based semi-persistent scheduling
is that the PDCCH that is used for allocating the time and frequency
resources for semi-persistent use must be reliable. A problem of false
positive detection for triggering a semi-persistent allocation can be
particularly troublesome, since the UE blindly decodes the PDCCH and may
determine that it received a semi-persistent allocation, even though it
may have only received random bits. With the use of a 16 bit CRC it can
be shown that this error case can arise in every 216=65,536 blind
decoding operations. In a worst case scenario there could be as many as
40 blind decoding operations per TTI (1 ms) and per UE, meaning that a
failure to correctly receive the PDCCH could occur once in every 1.6
seconds. Although the use of DRX and the UL/DL split can somewhat
alleviate this problem it can still be severe. It can be particularly
problematic if the false detection by the UE results in an (erroneous)
persistent UL transmission, which could potentially render the entire BW
unusable for other UEs in the cell. This problem is further aggravated by
the fact that the eNodeB is not aware of the problem and hence has no
means of turning the erroneous transmission off.

[0057]The conventional approach of semi-statically configuring UEs to use
different frequency resources for persistent scheduling is thus
inadequate, and can result in serious problems during operation of the
wireless communication network.

SUMMARY

[0058]The foregoing and other problems are overcome, and other advantages
are realized, by the use of the exemplary embodiments of this invention.

[0059]In a first aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this
invention provide a method that includes receiving a first control
information from a network access node, the first control information
comprising a plurality of fields defining control information elements
that are relevant to a resource allocation; receiving a second control
information from the network access node, the second control information
comprising a plurality of fields defining control information elements
that are relevant to the resource allocation; and declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation if at least one of the
plurality of fields of the second control information is the same as one
of the plurality of fields of the first control information.

[0060]In another aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this
invention provide a computer readable medium that stores program
instructions, where execution of the program instructions results in
performance of operations that include receiving a first control
information from a network access node, the first control information
comprising a plurality of fields defining control information elements
that are relevant to a resource allocation; receiving a second control
information from the network access node, the second control information
comprising a plurality of fields defining control information elements
that are relevant to the resource allocation; and declaring the resource
allocation to be a persistent resource allocation if at least one of the
plurality of fields of the second control information is the same as one
of the plurality of fields of the first control information.

[0061]In another aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this
invention provide an apparatus that includes a controller coupled with a
wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver and a memory. The controller is
configured to receive a first control information from a network access
node, the first control information comprising a plurality of fields
defining control information elements that are relevant to the resource
allocation. The controller is further configured to receive a second
control information from the network access node, the second control
information also comprising a plurality of fields defining control
information elements that are relevant to the resource allocation. The
controller is further configured to declare the resource allocation to be
a persistent resource allocation if at least one of the plurality of
fields of the second control information is the same as one of the
plurality of fields of the first control information, and to store in the
memory control information elements received with the second resource
allocation for use during the persistent resource allocation.

[0062]In a further aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this
invention provide a method that includes composing a first control
information for a user equipment, the first control information
comprising a plurality of fields defining control information elements
that are relevant to a resource allocation; transmitting the first
control information to the user equipment; composing a second control
information for the user equipment, the second control information
comprising a plurality of fields defining control information elements
that are relevant to the resource allocation, where the resource
allocation is made to be a persistent resource allocation by making at
least one of the plurality of fields of the second control information to
be the same as one of the plurality of fields of the first control
information and transmitting the second control information to the user
equipment.

[0063]In a still further aspect thereof the exemplary embodiments of this
invention provide an apparatus that includes a wireless transmitter; a
wireless receiver; a memory; and a controller coupled with the wireless
transmitter, the wireless receiver and the memory, said controller
configured to compose and transmit a first control information for a user
equipment, the first control information comprising a plurality of fields
defining control information elements that are relevant to a resource
allocation, said controller being further configured to compose and
transmit a second control information for the user equipment, the second
control information comprising a plurality of fields defining control
information elements that are relevant to the resource allocation, where
the resource allocation is made to be a persistent resource allocation by
making at least one of the plurality of fields of the second control
information to be the same as one of the plurality of fields of the first
control information.

[0069]FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of various electronic
devices that are suitable for use in practicing the exemplary embodiments
of this invention.

[0070]FIG. 4 shows an example of semi-persistent allocation of the UL for
a VoIP connection in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this
invention.

[0071]FIG. 5 shows an example of a semi-persistent allocation for the case
of UL VoIP packet traffic in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of
this invention.

[0072]FIG. 6 is a logic flow diagram that illustrates the operation of a
method, and a result of execution of computer program instructions, in
accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this invention.

[0073]FIG. 7 is a logic flow diagram that illustrates the operation of a
further method, and a result of execution of computer program
instructions, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this
invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074]Reference is made to FIG. 3 for illustrating a simplified block
diagram of various electronic devices that are suitable for use in
practicing the exemplary embodiments of this invention. In FIG. 3 a
wireless network 1 is adapted for communication with an apparatus, such
as a mobile communication device which may be referred to as a UE 10, via
a network access node, such as a Node B (base station), and more
specifically an eNB 12. The network 1 may include a network control
element (NCE) 14 that may include the MME/S GW functionality shown in
FIG. 1, and which provides connectivity with a network 16, such as a
telephone network and/or a data communications network (e.g., the
internet). The UE 10 includes a data processor (DP) 10A, a memory (MEM)
10B that stores a program (PROG) 10C, and a suitable radio frequency (RF)
transceiver 10D for bidirectional wireless communications 11 with the eNB
12 via one or more antennas. The eNB 12 also includes a DP 12A, a MEM 12B
that stores a PROG 12C, and a suitable RF transceiver 12D. The eNB 12 is
coupled via a data path 13 to the NCE 14. The data path 13 may be
implemented as the S1 interface shown in FIG. 1A. At least one of the
PROGs 10C and 12C is assumed to include program instructions that, when
executed by the associated DP, enable the electronic device to operate in
accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this invention, as will be
discussed below in greater detail.

[0075]That is, the exemplary embodiments of this invention may be
implemented at least in part by computer software executable by the DP
10A of the UE 10 and by the DP 12A of the eNB 12, or by hardware, or by a
combination of software and hardware.

[0076]For the purposes of describing the exemplary embodiments of this
invention the UE 10 may be assumed to also include a resource allocation
reception unit (RARU) 10E, a codec 10F for use with an exemplary VoIP
application, a MAC function or unit 10G, a timer 10H (typically part of
the MAC function 10G), and a RRC function or unit 10I. In practice, the
timer 10H may be set to indicate predetermined amount of time using a
timer value received from RRC signaling. The eNB 12 includes a resource
scheduler function (SCHED) 12E, as well as MAC and RRC (and higher
protocol layer) functions or units 12F, 12G. Note that the resource
scheduler function 12E may be a part of the eNB 12 MAC function 12F. The
eNB 12 is assumed to be capable of composing and transmitting control
information to the UE 10, which is assumed to be capable of receiving and
interpreting the received control information, as described in detail
below.

[0077]In general, the various embodiments of the UE 10 can include, but
are not limited to, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants
(PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers
having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as
digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming
devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and
playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, Internet
appliances permitting wireless Internet access and browsing, as well as
portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such
functions.

[0078]The MEMs 10B, 12B and 14B may be of any type suitable to the local
technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data
storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, flash
memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and
systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The DPs 10A, 12A and 14A may
be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may
include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose
computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and
processors based on a multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting
examples.

[0079]As used herein the phrases "persistent resource" allocation and
scheduling and "semi-persistent" resource allocation and scheduling may
be considered as being substantially equivalent, that is, to refer to a
resource allocation that is meant to be used over a period of time for
transmitting more than one data unit, such as more than one VoIP packet.

[0080]Turning now to a more detailed explanation of the exemplary
embodiments of this invention, it has been agreed that the persistent
scheduling is configured by RRC signaling, i.e., the persistent
scheduling feature is turned on/off by RRC signaling, and the periodicity
of the persistent scheduling (e.g., PS_PERIOD) is also given by RRC
signaling. The specific timing information, as well as the allocated
resources and transport format parameters, are sent on the L1/L2 control
channel (on the PDCCH) as a normal UL grant. If the UL grant is missed
(there is no resulting UL transmission), the eNB 12 can resend the UL
grant.

[0081]In a manner that is compatible with the foregoing agreement, the
exemplary embodiments of this invention provide a technique to reduce the
probability of an occurrence of a false positive to an acceptable level
by sending the persistent UL grant on the PDCCH two times, and the UE 10
is allowed to transmit on the UL using the persistent parameters only
after receiving two identical persistent allocations. In effect, this
procedure may be viewed as doubling the CRC length to 32 bits. Since the
content of the two allocations needs to be identical in order to be
accepted by the RARU 10E of the UE 10, the probability of an occurrence
of a false positive is essentially reduced to zero.

[0082]It may appear at first glance that the use of these exemplary
embodiments would increase the delay of starting the use of the
persistent allocation, and furthermore that usage of the PDCCH is
increased. However, this is not actually the case, as explained below.

[0083]At the beginning of the talk-spurt the UE 10 MAC function 10G
detects that there is a speech packet arriving from the codec 10F, and
that the UE 10 should send an uplink scheduling request (SR) to the eNB
12. The SR is sent on a dedicated resource (D-SR). For the exemplary VoIP
application that is considered herein one may assume that the SR resource
is available at least every 10 ms. The scheduler 12E of the eNB 12 sends
the UE 10 a first persistent uplink grant (a tentative persistent UL
grant) by sending a L1/L2 UL grant which indicates that the persistent UL
grant should be stored. This first persistent UL grant may be considered
as first control information containing control information elements. The
UE 10 stores the received persistent parameters in the memory 10B, while
also interpreting the allocation as a dynamic one-time allocation, and
then sends the VoIP packet using the received UL parameters (control
information elements). After receiving the first packet, the eNB 12 knows
that persistent allocation is actually needed and sends the second
persistent UL grant of the persistent UL grant pair. This second
persistent UL grant may be considered as second control information also
containing control information elements. When the UE 10 receives the
second persistent UL grant, containing a resource allocation that may be
identical to the resource allocation of the first persistent UL grant,
the UE 10 is granted permission to use the allocated parameters
persistently. If the second persistent UL grant is not received, then the
UE 10 discards the stored parameters (e.g., after PS_PERIOD).

[0084]Once the UE 10 has the persistent allocation there is normally no
need to send a SR. As has been previously agreed, the UE 10 monitors the
L1/L2 control channel in preconfigured TTIs (DRX), and if no valid UL
allocation is given to the UE 10, the UE 10 is allowed to send an initial
data transmission using the persistent resource (using a stored transport
format). The retransmissions are allocated using the L1/L2 control
channel, or they may be allocated in a non-adaptive manner by sending a
NAK on the PHICH.

[0085]With this technique any SID (silence descriptor) frames may also be
allocated "persistently". That is, when receiving a SR for a SID frame
(note that the eNB 12 does not know whether the frame to be transmitted
by the UE 10 is a SID frame, or a full VoIP packet, or something else),
the eNB 12 may send the first persistent UL grant and, after receiving
the SID frame, the eNB need not send the second persistent UL grant. In
this case the UE 10 discards the stored parameters of the first
allocation, which is treated in this case as a dynamic, one time resource
allocation.

[0086]In general, the scheduler 12E of the eNB 12 may be considered to
compose resource allocations for use by the UE 10, where the resource
allocations are composed in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of
this invention.

[0087]FIG. 4 shows a semi-persistent allocation of the UL for a VoIP
connection in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of this
invention.

[0088]The semi-persistent allocation can be distinguished from a
dynamically scheduled allocation in the PDCCH in several different ways.
In one exemplary embodiment a different C-RNTI is used than one used with
a normal dynamic allocation. The use of two PDCCHs in the same TTI, or in
different TTIs, when triggering a semi-persistent allocation has the
ability to dramatically decrease the false positive probability.

[0089]Further in this regard, and by way of clarification, in the MAC
specifications the C-RNTI is the UE 10 ID. The UE 10 can thus have two
C-RNTIs associated therewith, one related to dynamic scheduling and
another related to semi-persistent scheduling (currently referred to as
the Semi-Persistent Scheduling C-RNTI in the MAC specification.

[0090]The two PDCCHs (the pair of persistent UL allocations shown in FIG.
4) can be sent in the same TTI, which has the advantage that the
persistent allocation can be signaled more rapidly. However, this
approach uses more PDCCH resources in one TTI, which may have peak power
and/or capacity implications.

[0091]Alternatively, the second PDCCH may be sent in the following TTI.
This approach avoids any potential peak power and/or capacity issues, and
also minimizes the delay, although additional PDCCH resources are still
used.

[0092]In FIG. 4, the two PDCCHs are sent, one for each separate packet (as
described above). Both PDCCHs indicate that they are semi-persistent
allocations (e.g., with a specific C-RNTI that is equal to the UE
identification). However, the allocation becomes persistent only if
certain criteria concerning the PDCCH content and reception time are met.
Non-limiting examples of such criteria may include (but are not limited
to) the following.

[0093]A. The two PDCCHs are sent (exactly) one PS_PERIOD apart, where
PS_PERIOD is the periodicity of the semi-persistent allocation, and where
the content of both PDCCHs is the same.

[0094]B. The two PDCCHs are sent within a given time limit, e.g.,
PS_PERIOD and the content is the same.

[0095]It should be noted that having the PDCCH content the same in both
PDCCHs does not require that all of the PDCCH content is identical.
Instead, only those fields relevant to the persistent allocation should
be the same. Examples of such relevant fields that define what may be
considered as relevant resource allocation elements include, for example,
transport block size (TBS) or, alternatively, the modulation and coding
scheme (MCS) and the physical resource block (PRB) allocation. Note that
the definition may be such that if at least one of these is the same:
e.g., if the TBS is the same in two semi-persistent PDCCHs received
within a predetermined interval of time, then the UL allocation becomes
persistent. In this case, all of the relevant parameters from the latter
PDCCH are stored for future use, as possibly one or more of them may
differ from the parameters sent in the first PDCCH. The UE 10 may also
store the TTI number, where the stored UL TTI is equal to the current
TTI.

[0096]Note further that in the uplink grant a cyclic shift for the UL
reference signal may be given, and which may also be considered as being
relevant to the persistent allocation. Related to the foregoing, the LTE
Layer 1 (PHY) is defined in such a way as to adapt to various spectrum
allocations. In general, the PHY layer specification can be found in 3GPP
TS 36.213, V8.2.0 (2008-03), 3rd Generation Partnership Project;
Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal
Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures (Release 8),
and 3GPP TS 36.211, V8.2.0 (2008-03), 3rd Generation Partnership Project;
Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal
Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical channels and modulation
(Release 8). Reference can also be made to 3GPP TS 36.212 V8.2.0
(2008-03), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification
Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access
(E-UTRA); Multiplexing and channel coding (Release 8). These various 3GPP
specifications are incorporated by reference herein.

[0097]Referring specifically to subclause 5.2 of 3GPP TS 36.211, V8.2.0,
"Slot structure and physical resources", in subclause 5.2.1 a resource
grid is shown and described. FIG. 5.2.1 1, reproduced herein as FIG. 1B,
shows the UL resource grid as currently defined. The transmitted signal
in each slot is described by the resource grid of
NRBULNscRB subcarriers and NsymbUL SC-FDMA
symbols. The quantity NRBUL depends on the uplink transmission
bandwidth configured in the cell and fulfils the relationship:

NRB.sup.min,UL≦NRBUL≦NRB.sup.max,UL,

where NRB.sup.min,UL=6 and NRB.sup.max,UL=110 is the smallest
and largest UL BW, respectively, supported by the current version of the
specification. The set of allowed values for NRBUL is given by
3GPP TS 36.104, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Base
Station (BS) radio transmission and reception.

[0098]The number of SC-FDMA symbols in a slot depends on the cyclic prefix
length configured by higher layers and is given in Table 5.2.3-1,
reproduced herein as FIG. 1C.

[0099]As is described in subclause 5.2.2, "Resource elements", each
element in the resource grid is referred to as a resource element and is
uniquely defined by the index pair (k,l) in a slot where k=0, . . . ,
NRBULNscRB 1 and l=0, . . . , NsymbUL 1 are
the indices in the frequency domain and the time domain, respectively.
Resource element (k,l) corresponds to the complex value ak,l.
Quantities ak,l. corresponding to resource elements not used for
transmission of a physical channel or a physical signal in a slot are set
to zero.

[0100]Subclause 5.2.3, "Resource blocks", defines a physical resource
block as NsymbUL consecutive SC-FDMA symbols in the time domain
and NscRB consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain,
where NsymbUL and NscRB are given by Table 5.2.3-1
(FIG. 1C herein). A physical resource block in the UL thus consists of
NsymbUL×NscRB resource elements, corresponding
to one slot in the time domain and 180 kHz in the frequency domain.

[0101]In 3GPP TS 36.212, subclause 5.3.3, Downlink control information
(DCI) sent on the PDCCH is defined. Depending on the transmission
direction, different information elements are sent. As is stated in 3GPP
TS 36.212:

[0102]5.3.3.1 DCI Formats

[0103]5.3.3.1.1 Format 0

[0104]DCI format 0 is used for the transmission of UL-SCH assignments.

[0148]In one non-limiting and exemplary embodiment of this invention it is
desirable that all of the parameters (resource allocation elements, which
may also be referred to as control information elements, not to be
confused with the resource elements shown in FIG. 1B) that are stored for
future use (as the persistent allocation) are the same in each of the two
PDCCHs (the pair of persistent UL allocations shown in FIG. 4). In
another non-limiting and exemplary embodiment the UE 10 may declare an
occurrence of a persistent resource allocation if at least one (selected
or predetermined) resource allocation element is the same between the two
PDCCHs.

[0149]An example of one suitable (and non-limiting) implementation is now
described. [0150]1. If the UE 10 receives semi-persistent allocation on
the PDCCH (e.g., indicated by a special C-RNTI) and the timer 10H is not
running, then: [0151]a. If the UE 10 does not have a semi-persistent UL
grant, then the UE 10 stores the relevant (or selected) parameters and
starts the timer 10H; [0152]b. If the UE has a semi-persistent UL grant,
then [0153]i. If the parameters and timing of the PDCCH would not change
the existing semi-persistent UL grant, then do nothing (confirms the
semi-persistent allocation); else [0154]ii. If the parameters or the
timing of the PDCCH are different from the existing semi-persistent UL
grant, then UE 10 considers that semi-persistent UL grant is released and
UE 10 stores the relevant (or selected) parameters and starts the timer
10H. [0155]iii. Alternatively, if the parameters are the same but the
timing of the PDCCH is different, then UE 10 considers that the timing of
the semi-persistent allocation is changed and stores the new timing (TTI
number). [0156]iv. Alternatively, if the timing of the PDCCH is the same
(UE would have a semi-persistent allocation in that TTI) but some
parameter (e.g., PRB allocation or TBS) is changed (and the other
relevant parameters are the same) then UE 10 considers that the
semi-persistent allocation is updated with the new parameter.
[0157]2. If the UE 10 receives another semi-persistent allocation (with
the same relevant (or selected) parameters) on the PDCCH while the timer
is running, then the UE 10 considers the allocation as semi-persistent,
stores the rest of the parameters (if not all were selected) and begins
using the semi-persistent allocation without another PDCCH (and stops the
timer 10H). [0158]3. If the timer 10H expires, the UE 10 discards the
stored semi-persistent parameters. [0159]4. If the UE 10 receives another
semi-persistent allocation on the PDCCH while the timer 10H is running,
but the relevant (or selected) parameters are different, then the UE 10
replaces the stored parameters with the newly received parameters and
restarts the timer 10H.

[0160]The "timing" of the semi-persistent allocation may be derived from
the latter PDCCH, i.e., the timing offset related to the periodicity.
This implies that when the UE 10 receives the first semi-persistent
allocation, it need not store the time instant. Instead, it only stores
the parameters and starts the timer 10H. When the UE 10 receives the
second PDCCH it also stores the TTI (or subframe) number
(=10*SFN+subframe index, where SFN is the system frame number and
subframe index=0, 1, . . . , 9).

[0161]FIG. 5 shows an example of a semi-persistent allocation for the case
of UL VoIP packet traffic in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of
this invention. At the beginning of the talk spurt (following the SR
transmitted by the UE 10) two semi-persistent PDCCHs are sent (the first
two VoIP packets are allocated using semi-persistent PDCCH). Afterwards
the UE 10 is allowed to send the initial transmissions without receiving
a new UL grant from the eNB 12. Any needed retransmissions may be handled
adaptively (scheduled with PDCCH, as in first retransmission shown in
FIG. 5) or non-adaptively (only a NAK is sent from the eNB 12, as in the
second retransmission in FIG. 5).

[0162]Note that the frequency allocations given in the first and second
semi-persistent PDCCHs may be different (assuming that the frequency
allocation was not within the selected parameters).

[0163]If the first semi-persistent allocation is for some reason lost (not
correctly received or responded to by the UE 10), the eNB 12 should
detect this fact from an expected but missing UL (e.g., VOIP) packet
transmission. In this case the eNB 12 may send another semi-persistent
PDCCH. If the second semi-persistent PDCCH is lost, the eNB 12 should
again detect this condition. However, sending one more semi-persistent
PDCCH would not be sufficient if the timer 10H is set to PS_PERIOD
(typically 20 ms for VOIP). In this case then either a forth
semi-persistent PDCCH is sent, or the timer 10H can be increased to, for
example, 2 times the PS_PERIOD.

[0164]Although the exemplary embodiments have been described thus far in
the context of the UL, it may also be applied for use in making DL
semi-persistent allocations to improve reliability. In the DL direction
the UE 10 does not consider the allocation semi-persistent until it has
received two (identical or substantially identical) semi-persistent
PDCCHs. Afterwards (after receiving the two semi-persistent PDCCHs) the
UE 10 attempts to receive the PDSCH (the data channel) blindly without
receiving the PDCCH.

[0165]Using two PDCCHs for triggering the semi-persistent allocation
implies that the probability for false positive detection decreases
significantly.

[0166]If desired, the PDCCHs may be transmitted using a higher aggregation
level, i.e., using more resource elements and thus stronger channel
coding, or with higher power.

[0167]The exemplary embodiments of this invention may be implemented at
least in part by a revision to at least one LTE standard document. For
example, a change may be made to subclause 5.4.1 "UL Grant reception" of
3GPP TS 36.321 V8.1.0 (2008-03) Technical Specification 3rd Generation
Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network;
Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Medium Access Control
(MAC) protocol specification (Release 8). In a first embodiment the
subclause may be modified to read as follows:

[0168]5.4.1 UL Grant Reception

[0169]When the UE has a C-RNTI, Semi-Persistent Scheduling C-RNTI, or
Temporary C-RNTI, the UE shall for each TTI: [0170]If the Semi-Persistent
Grant Timer expires: discard the stored PDCCH parameters; [0171]If an
uplink grant for this TTI has been received on the [PDCCH] for the UE's
C-RNTI, Semi-Persistent scheduling C-RNTI or Temporary C-RNTI; or
[0172]if an uplink grant for this TTI has been received in a Random
Access Response: [0173]Indicate a valid uplink grant and the associated
HARQ information to the HARQ entity for this TTI; [0174]If the uplink
grant has been received on the PDCCH for the UE's Semi-Persistent C_RNTI
(a new persistent grant): [0175]If the Semi-Persistent Grant Timer is
running and the PDCCH parameters are the same as those stored:
[0176]consider UL grant configured, stop the Semi-Persistent Grant Timer
and store the uplink grant and the TTI number
(STORED_UL_TTI=CURRENT_TTI). [0177]Else [0178]store the PDCCH parameters
and start or restart the Semi-Persistent Grant Timer. [0179]Else, if an
uplink grant for this TTI has been configured (CURRENT_TTI-STORED_UL_TTI)
mod PS_PERIOD=0) [0180]Indicate a persistent uplink grant, valid for new
transmission, and the associated HARQ information to the HARQ entity for
this TTI.

[0181]NOTE:The period of configured uplink grants is expressed in TTIs.

[0182]NOTE:If the UE receives both a grant for its RA-RNTI and a grant for
its C-RNTI, the UE may choose to continue with either the grant for its
RA-RNTI or the grant for its C-RNTI.

[0183]In a second embodiment the subclause may be modified to read as
follows:

[0184]The UE shall for each TTI: [0185]If an uplink grant for this TTI has
been received on the [PDCCH]; or [0186]if an uplink grant for this TTI
has been received in a Random Access Response: [0187]Indicate a valid
uplink grant and the associated HARQ information to the HARQ entity for
this TTI; [0188]if the uplink grant is a new persistent grant (indicated
on the [PDCCH]): [0189]if a previous persistent grant with the same
parameters has been received within PS_PERIOD: [0190]consider UL grant
configured and store the uplink grant and the TTI number
(STORED_UL_TTI=CURRENT_TTI). [0191]else [0192]store the parameters.
[0193]else, if an uplink grant for this TTI has been configured
(CURRENT_TTI-STORED_UL_TTI) mod PS_PERIOD=0) and an uplink grant for this
TTI has not been received on the [PDCCH], nor in a Random Access
Response: [0194]Indicate a persistent uplink grant, valid for new
transmission, and the associated HARQ information to the HARQ entity for
this TTI.

[0195]NOTE:The period of configured uplink grants is expressed in TTIs.

[0196]In the foregoing two versions of subclause 5.4.1 the text that may
be added to reflect the exemplary embodiments of this invention is
indicated in bold type.

[0197]The foregoing exemplary embodiments thus provide several procedures
that can beneficially reduce or essentially eliminate the occurrence of
false positive persistent UL grants during operation of the wireless
communication system In one procedure two identical (or substantially
identical) persistent UL grants need to be received by the UE 10 within
some predetermined period, such as, e.g., PS_PERIOD or 2*PS_PERIOD, (or
more generally a multiple (n) of PS_PERIOD, where n is equal to one, or
approximately one, or greater than one) before the UE 10 is allowed to
send persistently without receiving an UL allocation. In one case the
persistent allocation is triggered by receiving two PDCCHs indicating
persistent UL grant with same L1 parameters, while in another case the
two persistent UL grants need to be received within, for example,
PS_PERIOD. In one case the two persistent UL grants are received within
the same TTI, while in another case the two persistent UL grants are
received within two separate TTIs. In these embodiments the timer 10H may
be set to a value close to PS_PERIOD or 2*PS_PERIOD, for example.

[0198]Based on the foregoing it should be apparent that the exemplary
embodiments of this invention provide a method, apparatus and computer
program product(s) to provide persistent resource allocations to user
equipment. In accordance with a method and a result of execution of
computer program instructions, and referring to FIG. 6, at Block 6A there
is a step of receiving a first control information from a network access
node, the first control information comprising a plurality of fields
defining control information elements that are relevant to a resource
allocation. At Block 6B there is a step of receiving a second control
information from the network access node, the second control information
comprising a plurality of fields defining control information elements
that are relevant to the resource allocation. At Block 6C there is a step
of declaring the resource allocation to be a persistent resource
allocation if at least one of the plurality of fields of the second
control information is the same as one of the plurality of fields of the
first control information.

[0199]It should be noted that in the foregoing method, and in response to
receiving the first control information, there may be a further step of
transmitting a first data unit to the network access node using the
defined control information elements (an UL transmission).

[0200]It should be noted that in the foregoing method, and in response to
receiving the first control information, there may be a further step of
receiving a first data unit from the network access node using the
defined control information elements (a DL transmission).

[0201]Further in accordance with a method and a result of execution of
computer program instructions, and referring to FIG. 7, at Block 7A there
is a step of composing a first control information for a user equipment,
the first control information comprising a plurality of fields defining
control information elements that are relevant to a resource allocation.
At Block 7B there is a step of transmitting the first control information
to the user equipment. At Block 7C there is a step of composing a second
control information for the user equipment, the second control
information comprising a plurality of fields defining control information
elements that are relevant to the resource allocation. The resource
allocation is made to be a persistent resource allocation by making at
least one of the plurality of fields of the second control information to
be the same as one of the plurality of fields of the first control
information. At Block 7D there is a step of transmitting the second
control information to the user equipment.

[0202]The various blocks shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be viewed as method
steps, and/or as operations that result from operation of computer
program code, and/or as a plurality of coupled logic circuit elements
constructed to carry out the associated function(s).

[0203]In general, the various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in
hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination
thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while
other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be
executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device,
although the invention is not limited thereto. While various aspects of
the exemplary embodiments of this invention may be illustrated and
described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial
representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus,
systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as
non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose
circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other
computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0204]As such, it should be appreciated that at least some aspects of the
exemplary embodiments of the inventions may be practiced in various
components such as integrated circuit chips and modules. It should thus
be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of this invention may be
realized in an apparatus that is embodied as an integrated circuit, where
the integrated circuit may comprise circuitry (as well as possibly
firmware) for embodying at least one or more of a data processor, a
digital signal processor, baseband circuitry and radio frequency
circuitry that are configurable so as to operate in accordance with the
exemplary embodiments of this invention. For example, at least the DPs
10A, 12A, which may be considered to function as UE and eNB controllers,
respectively, may each be embodied at least partially in at least one
integrated circuit.

[0205]Depending on the level of integration, and by example, one or more
of the memory and/or transceiver-related circuitry may be integrated
together with the respective controller.

[0206]Various modifications and adaptations to the foregoing exemplary
embodiments of this invention may become apparent to those skilled in the
relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, any and all
modifications will still fall within the scope of the non-limiting and
exemplary embodiments of this invention.

[0207]For example, while the exemplary embodiments have been described
above in the context of the EUTRAN (UTRAN-LTE) system, it should be
appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of this invention are not
limited for use with only this one particular type of wireless
communication system, and that they may be used to advantage in other
wireless communication systems.

[0208]Further by example, while the exemplary embodiments have been
described in the context of a VoIP application, they may be used in other
types of applications wherein it is desired to transmit a stream of
packets (data units) using persistent or semi-persistent resource
allocations (e.g., video content). The various packets may be logically
related, e.g., they are associated with a single ongoing VoIP connection,
or they may be logically distinct and unrelated to one another.

[0209]It should be noted that the terms "connected," "coupled," or any
variant thereof, mean any connection or coupling, either direct or
indirect, between two or more elements, and may encompass the presence of
one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are
"connected" or "coupled" together. The coupling or connection between the
elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. As employed
herein two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled"
together by the use of one or more wires, cables and/or printed
electrical connections, as well as by the use of electromagnetic energy,
such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency
region, the microwave region and the optical (both visible and invisible)
region, as several non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0210]Furthermore, some of the features of the various non-limiting and
exemplary embodiments of this invention may be used to advantage without
the corresponding use of other features. As such, the foregoing
description should be considered as merely illustrative of the
principles, teachings and exemplary embodiments of this invention, and
not in limitation thereof.